Chapter 159 Wake Up Call
Obelisk was a gigantic four sided, narrow tapering stone pillar with countless of Demonic Runes Carved on its surface. Its height varied from 800 meters to 1.3 kilometers, and its width varied from 50 to 80 meters.
Obelisks were the only gigantic monument that every living beings hated. Even so, the Obelisk itself couldn't do any harm to them. However, the world behind the Obelisk did; this became the reason why they hated it.
Obelisk was the boundary between the land of the living, and the land of the cursed. An active Obelisk produced a Barrier that separated the two lands to protect the population of the strongest Demon residing behind it; it didn't produce Demons.
When a weak Demon was born inside, it would be thrown outside of the Barrier; no weak Demons would be accepted inside. This was the reason behind the phenomenon of "Monster birth."
When the land behind the Barrier was filled to the brim—when strong Demons had overcrowded the land—the Obelisk Master would deactivate the Barrier, and the Demons were set loose, free to evoke chaos upon the world.
This phenomenon was called Outbreak.
In front of one of the existing Obelisks, six humanoid figures were kneeling with their heads lowly bowed. Two of the six figures were females, and the rest were males. They were adorned in black armor that was made from a High Grade Magic Metal, Vanadium.
The six figures were currently paying their respect to the delicate looking man facing the Obelisk: their Master. He had blue hair, a womanlike slim build, and a height of 178 centimeters, which was pretty average for a man.
"My liege, the legions are ready!" One of the figures said.
The aura the six figures were exuding was not something one could scoff at: it was horribly overwhelming. Even so, it was nothing compared to the aura of the man they were bowing their heads to.
"Mistake shan't be forgiven ... Dare you guarantee your readiness?" The man said.
One of the six figures opened his mouth. "Shall we make a mistake, may you condemn our souls, Prince Goap."
The man, Goap, smiled slightly. "I have seen your resolve." Turning around, he spread his hand. "Arise, my Generals ... We shall declare our presence to the mortal world!"
The Generals raised their heads, and stood up straightly. All of them had two horns and apparent blue vein on their foreheads. Their black sclera and purple iris added a certain charm to their appearance; they looked devilishly charming.
"As you command, my liege!" They shouted in unison.
Goap smiled in satisfaction, and faced the Obelisk once again. Extending his hand forward, he put his palm on the surface of the Obelisk. Infusing his monstrous Mana into the Obelisk, every Demonic Runes Carved on it shone and moved around it.
A faint laughter came out of Goap's mouth. "Ku-ku-ku. Today will be our return. Once again, we, Demons, will reach prominence." Raising his head, he stared at the sky with his shining blue eyes. "We will overthrow you soon ... Betrayer," he said spitefully.
Whoosh!
An overwhelming amount of Mana flooded the entire vicinity, causing dust to rise from the ground. Those who had long hair got their hair fluttered in the wind, and those who wore cape got their cape fluttered.
Ten inhale of breath later, the Magic Barrier that was generated by the Obelisk was retracted back into it like a curtain. As the Barrier was gone, the scene behind it was revealed; the land of the cursed, and its inhabitants were displayed to the world.
The entirety of the Obelisk shone even brighter, and the aura surrounding it became even heavier. Before long, the peak of the Obelisk shone in blue like an intensely burning torch.
Then, a beam of densely concentrated Mana was shot to the sky from the peak.
BOOM!
The air rippled, and an ear grating hum was reverberated through the air. The Obelisk currently looked like a magnificent gigantic flare, but not a single person would admire the scene.
Because, it signified the start of an Outbreak—the nightmare of the world's inhabitants.
Goap turned to look at his armies: 396,000 Demons in 66 legions commanded by 6 Generals. A cruel smile decorated his face as he touched the armband around his arm.
He would make a good use of the aid he had gotten.
"My servants! 2000 years have passed since our defeat," he declared passionately. "We have been stomped down, and humiliated. It is now the time to return the humiliation with interest." Goap smiled gleefully. "Smear the world with their blood!"
The reaction was instantaneous.
"OOOOHHHH!" An excited cry came out of the mouth of the Demons.
All of their eyes lit up in madness, and their heart beat faster in ecstacy. Looking at their Master, they were sure of their victory; none of them entertained the thought of losing.
Under their Master's command, the army of Demons took off to the human infested areas with the Six Generals in lead. Their purpose? To purge the humans off the world—to have a feast!
This day was the day of the Obelisk Master reappearance, the day of the first Outbreak in 2000 years of inactivity, and the day of the rise of the Demons. This day would be written as another history worth remembering; not of joy, but tragedy.
And needless to say, humanity couldn't react properly.
...
Wisselton, the center of Woster County (300 kilometers away from BA-32).
HUM!
All of the activities in the entirety of Woster County instantly came to a stop. The people didn't understand what the sound they were hearing, but their body was honest: they couldn't budge a single step.
Rasing their heads to look at the sky, they could see a beam of light shooting through the sky as if penetrating it. They knew they were far from it, but they couldn't stop their body from quivering in fear.
Their pupils dilated so much, it was on the verge of covering their entire iris. They wanted to shout, but they couldn't. They could only gape their mouth in disbelief, and looked at the scene in horror.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
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Their dilated pupils returned to normal, and their tense body loosened up. When the fear was gone, their feet turned jelly; they lost the power to keep their posture straight, and fell to the ground.
Thud!
Breathing heavily, they looked at the ground in bewilderment and confusion.
What has just happened? What is that flare? What is this hum I am faintly hearing? Why am I so uneasy?!
Questions filled their head, and they were eager to get the answer; they were hoping someone could immediately explain to them that what they were thinking was, in fact, just a mere thought—it was not happening.
"Civilians, go get to your house!"
At the exclamation, everyone turned their head to the direction of the speaker. It was a blue haired, muscular man with a handsome beard on his face. Standing at 185 centimeters tall, his firm posture really looked reassuring.
This man was someone the people of Woster County knew well; he was the Count of Woster, Count Ansley Woster. He was one of the few people who could keep his ground, and still act calm.
Right after registering the identity of the speaker, the people widened their eyes in realization, and quickly ran back to their house; doing as what Ansley had ordered.
"Pack up your stuff and move out! A big scale disaster might occur soon!" Ansley added. Gazing at the gigantic flare, his face darkened visibly. "Please, tell me that what I am thinking is not going to happen."
Ironically, even one of the strongest individuals in Woster County was also hoping the same thing that ordinary folks were hoping.
Still, what is there the meaning to hope for rice, when it has turned to porridge?
"Earl Woster!"
At the panicked call, Ansley turned his head at the person; he was met with the face of his retainer.
Seeing that he got the Ansley's attention, the retainer cried, "An incredible horde of Monsters is approaching Ruttenhale Barony—the outer part of our County! The estimate number of the Monsters is 60,000!"
Ansley's face contorted, and the person who had reported the information was close to crying; he didn't know what to do. Although he was also a Mage, he was nothing but a Second Circle Mage, a low class Mage—a weakling.
"Peterson!" Ansley shouted, and the retainer, Peterson was awaken from his thought. "Yes!" He immediately straightened up his posture.
Looking at Peterson seriously, Ansley said, "Take my son, Harold, to Randalvine with you." Peterson nodded his head firmly. "I believe the other Nobles have also notified the Kingdom by now." Peterson nodded once again. "Very well ... Off you go." Ansley waved his hand.
Peterson gulped audibly. "Count Ansley ... What about you?" In response, Ansley merely smirked. "I have to hold those bastards of with the other Nobles." Seeing the incoming interjection, Ansley added, "You don't have to feel the obligation to stay."
Peterson wanted to say something, but Ansley cut him once again. "You are merely a retainer. You have no land to protect; you have no reason to stay." Ansley smiled. "Take my son and your family away ... This place will turn to hell very soon."
Right after saying that, Ansley's Spatial Bracelet flashed. In the next moment, his body was adorned with light armor; he was battle ready. Holding a Magic Sword in his hand, he immediately took off to the County Hall to meet the other Nobles.
He knew there would be many Nobles joining his side; no one wanted to lose the territory they had struggled to achieve, after all.
Although the drive was selfish, their goal was still beneficial to everyone: purging off every Monsters (Demons).
True to his prediction, there were already many Nobles gathering in the County Hall to take off to Ruttenhale Barony. Without talking much, they quickly took off.
Upon reaching there, they didn't need to wait for the horde that long. The horde reached Ruttenhale Barony in an hour, and it fell in 10 minutes even with their presence there.
Fortunately, there were still local Knights and some kindhearted Mages helping them to prevent the horde of Demons from advancing any further.
Sadly even after many of them had fallen, the waited support from the Kingdom didn't come.
The King of Braxtein was too flustered with the development; he couldn't make a wise and quick decision.